A 14-year-old boy appeared in court in New Zealand yesterday charged with murdering and sexually assaulting a British teenager, who had emigrated from Essex with her family three years ago.

The body of Liberty Templeman, 15, was found in a stream in the small town of Kerikeri in the far north of the country at the weekend. Police said the boy, who appeared in Kaikohe youth court on charges of murder and indecent assault, was from the local area and known to Liberty, but was not her boyfriend.

The teenager, known as Libby, had moved south from there to Auckland with her parents, Andrew and Rebecca, and younger brother, William, two weeks ago, and had returned to Kerikeri to visit friends when she went missing.

She was dropped off outside a school before going to meet her boyfriend at the supermarket where he worked, according to reports, and was last seen at 7pm on Saturday local time. The alarm was raised when she did not arrive and her fully clothed body was found at 5pm the next day.

Police said Liberty's family, who moved from Brightlingsea to New Zealand "for a better life", were relieved by the arrest and were now focusing on her funeral, due to take place in Kerikeri today. Her grandmothers, aunts and uncles have flown out from the UK for the service.

In a message on Liberty's Bebo page a friend claimed the boy charged with her murder had joined the search when she was reported missing.

Inspector Chris Scahill, police commander of the far north area, said: "I would like to thank the people of Kerikeri who assisted police with their inquiries and I acknowledge the support they have given police during what has been a difficult case to work on."

Liberty, an aspiring actor, was due to start classes at Rangitoto college, New Zealand's largest secondary school, on Auckland's North Shore.

In a statement, her family said: "Liberty was staying with family friends in Kerikeri, enabling her to be with a number of her really close friends prior to returning home on Sunday. She was looking forward to her first day at Rangitoto college where she had already auditioned for a place in the end-of-year performance."

They described Liberty as a "very bright, vivacious girl with a huge personality and big dreams". "We are confident that she would always be successful in following her chosen path and acting was her passion. It's so unfair that our beautiful girl has been taken whilst still so young and with so much to give. We know that she will be missed terribly by all who knew her."

Around 600 people are expected to attend a public memorial service at an arts and recreation centre near where the teenager's body was found.